Hot Topics:

WEEKEND BEST BETS: Sammy O'Neil grows into 'Secret Garden' role

By Bonnie J. Toomey, Correspondent

Updated:
03/20/2014 09:51:54 AM EDT

No Published Caption

Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our Smugmug site.

FITCHBURG -- Sammy O'Neil will take on the role of Mary Lennox in The New Players Theatre Guild production of "The Secret Garden" at the recently renovated NPTG Center for the Performing Arts at 15 Rollstone St.

The musical is a coming-of-age story based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett with lyrics by Marsha Norman and music by Lucy Simon.

The Sentinel & Enterprise reached Sammy via phone at her home in Merrimack, N.H., last Monday.

Some of her favorite roles include Fern in "Charlotte's Web," Agnes Smith in "Meet Me in St. Louis," and Charlie Bucket in "Willy Wonka."

"It's a lot of fun," she said, "NPTG is a very welcoming group and very ready to go. It's a fast-paced place."

"They are first-time directors with us," said Jane Granata, a spokesperson for NPTG.

Sammy has studied ballet, French horn and piano and has trained with voice coaches Carlos Martinez and Candace Glickman of Manchester, N.H.

Sammy's professional theater experience includes roles such as Belinda Crachit in "A Christmas Carol" and Young Eponine in "Les Miserables."

Sammy also has several community theater credits to her name, including her performance as Millie Dillmount in "Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr."

"Millie was a bright and cheery role, but this is definitely one of my favorites because Mary's dark and she falls in love," said Sammy, who also loves writing and tap dancing.

Advertisement

"The music is beautiful, I listen to it every day, and the script is beautifully written" said the seventh-grader who attends Merrimack Middle School.

Two of Sammy's favorite moments from "The Secret Garden" score are the hauntingly beautiful "Opening," and a light-hearted piece called "Wick," in which her character and the character of Dickon work together to bring the ghostly Yorkshire manor's neglected garden back to life.

"Dickon tries to brighten Mary up," said Sammy, who took lessons in British dialect with Meagan Quinn at Palace Theater in Manchester, N.H.

Twenty-year-old Nick Landry plays the role of Dickon, a young gardener who Mary befriends.

"I like working with adults; they take it seriously," Sammy said, clarifying that she also enjoys working with children.

Sammy keeps her health by drinking Emergen-C and prepares for rehearsals by performing a series of vocal slide warm-ups, a technique she learned from Martinez and Glickman.

"The director is so kind and so nice -- always a smile on his face," said Sammy. "He tells us exactly where we're going and how to say our lines," she said.

Sammy got her script two months ago. She was surprised when she was actually cast in the role of Mary because so many talented thespians came out for the part.

"I'm extremely lucky," she said.

Sammy describes herself as a creative person who likes to help out.

"I'm also very fond of animals," said Sammy, who has five pets at home.

"I read my lines a little bit and think about how Mary would say it," she said, adding that she had done her homework regarding the cholera outbreak in India during the early 1900s to help her better understand Mary's character.

"I looked a little up about the cholera outbreak at that time -- very interesting and very sad, all those people who died," said Sammy, who explained that she devotes most of her time and energy to theater and her academic studies.

"I hope that audiences can take away that you can find love anywhere," she said.

Sammy suggests that anyone interested in acting should stay confident and that it is important to be yourself. She feels prepared for opening night.

"I appreciate all the work that everyone has put into the show so far," she added.

She also wants young people who are thinking of getting involved in community theatre to try hard.

"At 2- or 3-years-old I said, 'Why can't I be up there?' When I was 8, I tried out for 'Oliver' and made it into the ensemble," she said.

Sammy's mother, Michelle O'Neil, describes her daughter as "a good girl" and she says the show should be beautiful.

The Secret Garden will take the NPTG stage on March 21, 22, 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m., and on March 23 and March 30 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15, $12 for seniors and adults; for information go to nptg.org or call 978-345-6570.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sentinel and Enterprise. So keep it civil.